Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged the United States to "show common sense" and "abandon its plans for a naval blockade" of Cuba as the country teeters on the brink of collapse due to fuel shortages.
State-run news agency TASS reported that the remarks took place in the context of a meeting between Lavrov and Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. There Lavrov said Washington's actions are "unacceptable" and reiterated that Moscow will "continue to constantly support Cuba in the protection of its sovereignty and security."
Rodriguez Parrilla, on his end, said the U.S.'s actions pose a threat to the sovereignty "of all countries" and that "Cuba will continue to move forward with the protection of its independence and sovereignty, stay course and seek for effective solutions for its economy."
In the meantime, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been reportedly holding secret talks with the grandson of Raul Castro about "the future" of the country.
Axios detailed that the talks with 41-year-old Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro are bypassing official channels and show that the Trump administration believes his grandfather is the decision-maker in the country.
Rodriguez Castro is also seen as someone who represents a more business-oriented part of the regime who believe communism has failed and believe a rapprochement with the U.S. could be valuable, the outlet added.
"I wouldn't call these 'negotiations' as much as 'discussions' about the future," an official told the outlet. "The U.S. government's position — is the regime has to go," the official added. However, "what exactly that looks like is up to (President Donald Trump) and and he has yet to decide, and Rubio is still in talks with the grandson."
There have been conflicting reports about talks between Washington and Havana as the former continues putting pressure on the latter, largely as a result of its oil blockade.
Last week Drop Site News claimed that Rubio is deceiving Trump about there being high-level talks with Cuban officials, arguing that it is part of a scheme to overthrow the regime.
The official went on to say that Rubio's plan is making a claim in the future that talks failed because Havana refused to compromise.
Elsewhere in the article, Drop Site News rejected another report by Spanish outlet ABC Internacional, which claimed the regime has begun negotiating with the U.S. opening up its economy in exchange for not getting overthrown. It added that talks are being led by Alejandro Castro Espin, son of Raul and Nephew of Fidel. He is said to be engaging with the CIA in Mexico. However, Drop Site News said that is not the case.
Originally published on Latin Times
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